An Interview With Continuum's Jennifer Spence

Vancity Buzz had the pleasure of getting to know local Vancouver actress Jennifer Spence, who currently lives in Vancouver – both on and off the screen. Besides calling our beautiful city home Jennifer is currently shooting “Continuum”; a new 60-minute drama-action series filmed and set in Vancouver. Continuum’s premiere exploded on Showcase last Sunday night: its two airings reaped approximately 1.7 million Canadian viewers.

Vancity Buzz’s new TV critic/comedian, Felix K, also tuned into the premier; he stated that it exceeded expectations and that he expects the show to do well. The show starts out in 2077, where we quickly learn that corporations have taken over the world and abolished democracy. A ‘terrorist’ group is fighting for liberty, but seemingly fails. Just before the terrorist leaders are executed they manage to escape to the past; they were trying to get to 2071 but ended up in Vancouver, 2012 instead. A cop accidentally gets sucked into the past as well. Her aim is to track down and stop the terrorists in 2012 to stop them from altering the course of the future.

We talked to Jennifer to get to know her a little better and to be able to dive deeper into Continuum.

VcB: Tell us about Continuum: what’s the storyline and what makes it unique?

Jen: Yes! Continuum is a brand new edgy drama about what happens when a cop and a group of terrorists from the future land in present day Vancouver and have the potential to reshape our world- or to destroy it. What makes it unique is that it’s a police procedural with a sci-fi edge and it deals with the very timely issue of corporations taking over the world.

VcB: Which aspect of the show really got you excited about being part of the cast?

Jen: That it was so intelligently written and timely and set in Vancouver!

VcB: What’s the role of your character; how does it compare to past roles you have done?

Jen: I play Betty Robertson who is a super smart and capable cop/IT specialist with the Vancouver Police Department. Her “weakness” is her crush on a detective she works with played by Victor Webster. So yeah she’s definitely bright and good with computers like other characters I’ve played in the past but what I’m especially digging about her is that she’s also a cop so it’s an opportunity for me to toughen up and grow as an actor.

VcB: Any challenges or surprises that occurred while the show was being shot?

Jen: A fun little piece of trivia is we shot outside the CBC building and it doubled as one of the giant corporations in the city. We created a tent “occupy” city and had a crowd of protestors rioting – it looked like the real deal!

VcB: How do you think Vancouver will actually be in the year 2077? Do you think the Canucks will have won a cup by then?

Jen: I think the Canucks will have won multiple cups by then! In terms of how I think Vancouver will be, I can only hope that it’s still a safe, beautiful and healthy place that didn’t end up getting completely overrun by condos.

VcB: Any other projects you’re working on right now?

Jen: I’m super excited to begin shooting the feature film Down River, written and directed by my favourite person in the world: Ben Ratner! A link of the teaser can be found on the website.

VcB: To wrap up with some Vancouver related questions, where can you be found when the sun is shining?

Jen: The beach! Sipping a coffee and gazing at the mountains.

VcB: Your favourite thing about living in Vancouver?

Jen: Exactly the same as my last answer!

Accustomed to a hectic performing schedule, Jennifer has been balancing film and television roles throughout her successful career. She is arguably best know for her multiple award-winning science fiction series “Stargate Universe,” and her work on this led to her being nominated twice for a Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series in the past two years.